It's October - Baseball and General Conference

I must confess to one and all - October has always been my favorite time of the year. Why? Two reasons:

The New York Yankees

The Semi-Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

This year holds particular enjoyment for me. The Yankees did the impossible last night. They came back to win the first round of the playoffs after losing game one in a short wild card series. And they didn't just win. Rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler, the 6-foot-6 right-hander, in his 85th day as a major leaguer, became the first pitcher to toss at least eight scoreless innings with at least 12 strikeouts and zero walks in a postseason game, according to ESPN Research. His 12 strikeouts were the most in a winner-take-all game in history, the most in a playoff debut in Yankees history and the most he's compiled in a professional game at any level.

Cam Schlittler, Yankees Hero

Every postseason I can remember going back a long way now, has been my favorite time of the year. I am old enough to have been an eyewitness to Don Larsen's perfect game pitched in the World Series in 1956. I was nine years old, still playing Little League baseball. Most of my readers on this page would not be conversant with that history, but I remember it vividly. It was in the heyday of Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, who were my Yankees heroes back then. So here's a short course on Don Larsen:

Don James Larsen (August 7, 1929 – January 1, 2020) was an American professional baseball pitcher. During a 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he pitched from 1953 to 1967 for seven different teams: the St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles (1953–54; 1965), New York Yankees (1955–1959), Kansas City Athletics (1960–1961), Chicago White Sox (1961), San Francisco Giants (1962–1964), Houston Colt .45's / Astros (1964–65), and Chicago Cubs (1967).

Larsen pitched the sixth perfect game in MLB history, doing so in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. It is the only solo no-hitter and perfect game in World Series history and is one of only three no-hitters in MLB postseason history (the others being Roy Halladay's in 2010 and the combined Houston Astros no-hitter in 2022). He won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award and Babe Ruth Award in recognition of his 1956 postseason.

Yogi Berra and Don Larsen

Last night's performance by Schlittler comes as close to sheer domination by a pitcher as I have witnessed since then. Everybody watching the game knew a fast ball was coming on the next pitch, but the Red Sox hitters simply could not catch a break against his staggering performance. He averaged just under 100 mph on every fast ball he threw all night long. That's pure.

* * *

Now couple my joy over the Yankees so far this October with the prospect of the upcoming Semi-annual General Conference set to convene tomorrow in the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Last week we said our final farewells to 101 year-old President Russell M. Nelson, the Church's 17th President, and the oldest ever to preside over The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

President Russell M. Nelson

I have had my boyhood baseball heroes, but I have likewise had my prophet heroes too. President Harold B. Lee was my grandfather, and he ranks at the top of that very long list of men whom I have admired.

President Harold B. Lee

President Lee was the 11th President of the Church, who presided for a scant eighteen months after many had predicted a longer presidency given his relatively youthful vigor compared to his long-lived predecessors Joseph Fielding Smith and David O. McKay, both of whom I also admired greatly. As a boy, one can easily deduce, I was blessed with men who were certainly worthy of my adulation and my gratitude.

And today we wait with eager anticipation about the upcoming changes that will occur at the top of Church leadership once again. I gathered my family last Sunday night after President Nelson's death to help them understand the next steps that will be taken to reorganize the First Presidency and to name a new Apostle. I suggested before it had been announced that the reorganization steps would not be taken until after General Conference and President Nelson's funeral. The next day we learned his funeral would be held on October 7, 2025. President Lee gathered his family after the passing of President Smith, and he told us with unerring accuracy exactly what would happen going forward as he assumed the mantle of the living prophet. 

How did he know? Because from the moment he entered the upper room in the Salt Lake Temple where the Apostles meet as the newly named Apostle in 1941, he had witnessed the various transitions in leadership as he rose in seniority in the Twelve. It was not some mysterious process. To him it was familiar and predictable, and he shared it with each of us in his posterity.

President Dallin H. Oaks

Until then, I assured my own posterity the other night, the Church is named The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for an important reason - this is the Savior Jesus Christ's Church. It is not just another church of men. He remains at the helm. The keys of the kingdom of God on the earth are in the hands of the living Apostles. Those keys in the due course of events over the next few days after General Conference concludes will be transmitted into the hands of the senior member of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Dallin H. Oaks, who will select his counselors. Then a new member of the Twelve will be called to fill the subsequent vacancy. There is order in the kingdom of God. There is no politicking for position. We have been blessed by an abundance of worthy priesthood leaders in the past and the kingdom will go forward without hesitation or delay going forward. All is well with the restored Church.

Now, one final word. In this Church many will bear a strong witness that they were foreordained to serve in various assignments in their lives. This includes Sunday School teachers, missionaries, bishops, Relief Society presidents, stake presidents and others. I accepted a call to serve one time as the ward clerk, and I came to understand the reason why after I had performed a function of converting the manual records of the ward to digital records via the computer. I learned later I was the only person in the ward at that time who knew anything about those strange contraptions we now take for granted - the personal computer. I was foreordained, no doubt. So do not discount your pre-existent covenant to accept whatever foreordained tasks to which you are presently assigned in this life. 

We will raise our hands in a not distant future day to sustain the new leadership of the Church. We will have a witness of the divine nature of their callings, and that witness will come to each of us through the ministrations of the Holy Ghost to us. 

ZION - Now More Than Ever

This has been a momentous week in my personal history. I have withheld comment about it until now purposefully. I was somewhat stunned when I realized this is entry #800 on these poor pages.

First, I celebrated my 78th birthday in the Bountiful Temple, while President Russell M. Nelson was observing his 101st birthday on the same day. He’s 23 years older than me, and no matter how fast I run I can’t ever seem to catch up to him! I have to say that life is good right now. I am so grateful to be able to move about freely and with good health for the most part. As part of my birthday celebration we gathered many of the family in the Orem Temple on Saturday for a sealing session conducted by Hank Nelson, my dear friend. The temples are where I feel closest to heaven, and particularly my beloved Patsy.

Bountiful and Orem Temples

Second, this is also the week of the commemoration of the events of 9/11/2001, when the Twin Towers in New York were astonishingly levelled by the malevolent attacks perpetrated by terrorists who flew highjacked airplanes into them. Another flew into the Pentagon and exploded upon impact a few miles away, and a fourth was diverted by brave passengers who sacrificed their own lives to crash the plane they were on into a field in Pennsylvania. I witnessed those events in our home as the scenes were portrayed on my TV screen in living color throughout the day. It was an unbelievable and shocking event in world history. Osama bin Laden was ultimately identified as the perpetrator/mastermind, and he was summarily brought to justice and executed later.

9/11/25

Third, Charlie Kirk, an outspoken and stalwart voice for conservatives in this country, was assassinated in Orem, Utah, on the campus of Utah Valley University while he was giving a rally. Regardless of his politics and the positions he espoused, those who opposed him made an arbitrary decision to take him out with a single sniper’s bullet. Just this morning as I write, President Trump announced the shooter had confessed his act to his father, apparently, and it was his father who turned him in to authorities in St. George, Utah. Governor Cox, yesterday, reminded the world that Utah still upholds the death penalty for perpetrators of such crimes, and this individual will be held accountable to the “fullest extent of the law.”

Charlie Kirk at UVU

Fourth, and perhaps most satisfying of all to me personally, Aaron Judge hit two home runs (Nos. 45 and 46) in a game against the Tigers in Yankee Stadium, now tying him with Joe DiMaggio on the all-time Yankees home run list with 361 career homers. President Trump was in attendance for the commemoration of 9/11, and told the Yankees in their locker room before the game started that they would win that game. Final score: Yankees 9 Tigers 3.

So, would you say it was an eventful week? I vote “YES.” Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up, can you?

I have been pondering all week about ZION, and this morning as I write I am wearing my ZION sweatshirt in memory of those precious ideals I attempted to capture in my compilation those many years ago. It would seem after the shocking events of this week that we are now more than ever further away from ZION than we have ever been. But, I have a differing viewpoint based upon all I know. It is instructive, I believe, that no matter how devastating the historical events may be, we somehow seem to survive and eventually thrive despite the evidence to the contrary. We are resilient as a nation, and we can choose resilience as individuals too.

I wrote the following ten years ago on April 15, 2015:

Zion’s Four Facets

I continue to get questions from people I know well about the end of the world. It seems the political upheavals we are witnessing continue to trouble even the most grounded saints. These concerns arise as a natural consequence of the bad news we hear every day.

The budget and deficit spending in America is out of control. The prophets of doom and gloom continue to spread fear and uncertainty all around. Conspiracy theories abound. Few are escaping the effects of the 2008 financial market meltdown. Widespread doubts about the future are escalating. Inflation is eroding purchasing power. Gas prices are averaging $4 per gallon in five states, and continue rising in more. The price of basic food is rising at the grocery store. It is a troubling time for most.

In the aftermath of General Conference two weeks ago, I’ve had a chance to review the content, topics and themes we heard expressed by the living prophets. Patsy and I were asked to speak about the prophets in a recent sacrament meeting.

I chose to focus on the two senior Apostles - President Thomas S. Monson and President Boyd K. Packer. What did you hear from them two weeks ago? I heard a clear emphasis on priesthood power as it relates to family. Temple ordinances and marriage covenants were also themes. Missionary work and proclaiming the gospel throughout the world also came up more than once. Entering into temple marriage was a plea from the Prophet to young single men.

So where were the themes of doom and gloom, predictions of the pending demise of the planet being ground into dust? Conspicuously absent. Rather, we hear the announcements of three new temples echoing each opening statement by the Prophet as General Conference begins each six months. Just this week a new “super building” housing 5 stakes and 48 wards in Provo was announced. The City Creek project surrounding Temple Square in Salt Lake is on time, set for opening in a year from now.

Time and again we hear, “and this is just the beginning” in the promised establishment of Zion in the midst of Babylon. Living prophets are decidedly optimistic because of their absolute faith in the plan of salvation. There seems to be no fears in any of the living prophets.

Many years ago I began putting it all together on paper. I discerned four facets related to our understanding of the word “Zion” in the scriptures. I found that in each scriptural reference to Zion one could pinpoint one or more applications of the word. These four facets are people, place, condition or time.

People

Zion is a covenant people, set apart, consecrated, and sanctified from the rest of the world. They are different, they are peculiar and they are pure. They have come out of the world, entered in at the gate of baptism, are born of the Spirit and have taken hold of the iron rod. They reject the clarion voices from amid the mists of darkness, and ignore the taunts and jeers of those in the spacious building of sin. God has purged his people in all the other dispensations of which we have record, and the purification has come as a result of extreme adversity and affliction. Gold is never refined in an air conditioned chamber. If the covenant people cannot sacrifice and consecrate their lives to God, it has forever been the case that the rest of the world was willing to cast them out, throw them into the lions’ den, or stoke up the fiery furnace. Let us never be deluded into thinking we will inherit Zion in any other way, nor be worthy of the company of earlier martyrs at that future wedding feast unless we consecrate.

Place

Zion is two world centers of righteousness and judgment that are ultimately joined together physically. One is Independence, Missouri, the “centerstake,” from which “the law” will emanate, the other is Jerusalem, from which “the word” will go forth. Those who love and cherish the Constitution of the United States, it would seem, will rally to Zion and her stakes (and by extension her temples) upon the American Continent and throughout the world wherever they may find themselves. Christ will come to the Earth and sit in his temples in Jerusalem and in Jackson County, from which will go forth His word. They will combine eventually in the Lord’s timetable with the heavenly Zion when the earth enters the terrestrial phase of its existence, thus returning to the status it once enjoyed referred to in the 10th Article of Faith as “paradisiacal glory.” This telestial world in which we now live will give way to a terrestrial world that will stand for one thousand years, a period of time referred to as “The Millennium.” This is the place at the end of the path in Lehi’s vision where the tree of life grows.

Condition

Zion will stand apart from all worldly influences. Men and women of honesty and truth will seek the peace Zion affords, trust their temporal and spiritual welfare to each other, or sink lower and lower with the rest of the world who will be at war. There will be no middle ground - either total acceptance of God’s salvation, or Lucifer’s damnable embrace of death and destruction. Zion will be the light on the hill, and so formidable will be her strength and beauty because of God’s overshadowing presence that her enemies will shrink at the sight of her. The society will be characterized by people of one heart, one mind, and one objective spreading the truth of God’s salvation over the face of the earth as with a flood.

Time

Zion will come to pass in the due season of the Lord, and that season is upon us even now. We live at the end of the sixth seal of John’s Revelation, meaning the end of the sixth thousand-year period since the Fall. It is called “today” in the scriptures, and it is a day of sacrifice. It is not a day in which to trust in the arm of flesh, seeking security in the carnal pleasures of today’s society. Zion’s time is not fully ripe until the Bridegroom comes to accept the Bride, as John foresaw. The paradox of Zion’s timetable is that she will be nurtured as it were in the bull rushes like Moses, in the midst of unparalleled wickedness and abominations among men. The wheat and tares continue growing together, and the tares keep looking more and more like the weeds they are. And we also see the fig tree putting forth its leaves every day.

The Spirit whispers the truth that Zion will indeed have to be led out of bondage as the children of Israel were led out under Moses. While we are in the midst of spiritual bondage right now, the scriptures are replete with types and shadows of a physical bondage yet to come that will precede the day when all things are fulfilled.

We will not see the establishment of the headquarters of Zion until the temporary landlords who now occupy the sacred sites of the habitations of the New and the Old Jerusalem are swept off. The reclamation of those lands will come in the wake of destruction as foretold by all the prophets who witnessed the promised day, and that time is not far distant. Without an understanding of the impending destruction as the lynch pin to prophecy, the promises of the Lord to Israel that she will ultimately redeem the promised lands of her inheritance seem incomprehensible.

One need not read far into The Book of Mormon to discover that this land is not promised to the Gentiles who now occupy it. Rather, it will be given as an inheritance to the scattered remnants of the House of Israel now being gathered, and to those relatively few Gentiles who repent, embrace the gospel and by adoption become Israel. To think otherwise would be to deny the very faith that gave the prophets their utterance. And this despite the obvious evidence that the Gentiles who occupy this Promised Land today have material wealth and military might beyond even the wildest imaginations of the prophets who foresaw their destruction.

Ephraim’s descendants will figure prominently in the leadership of the House of Israel in the development of Zion, but it would be a gross error to assume that Zion is the private domain of Ephraim. The scriptures speak plainly of all the tribes coming to their inheritances in their various lands. We are witnessing the emergence of all these long-lost cousins in Israel in our day, as adversity, lawlessness, and political upheavals continue to drive them to our borders of freedom. They come because of wars, famines, diseases, natural disasters, and the love of freedom, but whatever the reasons they are coming to claim their promised blessings at the hands of Ephraim. Let us never be so surfeited by the things of this world that we cannot embrace them, when they come with little more than the clothes on their backs.

Conclusion

There is not a clear road map to Zion, a “checklist” if you will, that will land us unerringly at the gates of the Holy City. To come to Zion requires clean hands, a pure heart, and pure faith. To be a consecrated saint is to hearken to the voice of the Lord by the power of the Holy Ghost, to receive revelation upon revelation, and to possess a submissive heart that endures all that the Lord sees fit to inflict upon us. All the inhabitants of Zion are as little children, full of faith, and eager to do the will of the Father in all things.

We are not worthy of Zion’s society in our present state, but the chastening is in full effect and the spiritual mettle of us all will be put to the test in due time. Those who persist in their hidden sins while proclaiming their beliefs with their lips only, will fail to accumulate the needed midnight oil droplet by droplet over a lifetime of faithfulness. Those who cling steadfastly to their institutional faith, never risking the failure of individual responsibility for their decisions will sink in the depths of forgotten dust with the discarded baggage. We cannot endure the journey to Zion on borrowed light, nor will we find the oil of the Spirit to buy at midnight.

We must beware of repeating the patterns of old. Zion is a steadily progressing caravan of strangers and foreigners seeking a city built without hands. It is to be expected that the “corporate” Church would have difficulty implementing the celestial principles upon which Zion will be built. That reality does not make the Church’s doctrines any less true, nor the need for the Church’s organization less compelling. One laudable development is that the Church is adapting to the worldwide need for simplicity, as evidenced by the priesthood and Relief Society manual of instruction – it’s back to basics with Gospel Principles.

This is an important point that cannot be glossed over. The Church members’ compromise with Babylon is nearly complete. In a forthcoming day there will be an entire separation of the righteous from the wicked. Babylon is slated for destruction. That fact is a well-documented scriptural reality, and so is the establishment of Zion.

We are in the world as never before in our history, and we are more of the world too. From the days of Brigham Young whose mission was to separate the saints from the world by leading them to these remote valleys of the Mountain West, to the administration of Gordon B. Hinckley who has welcomed the world with the red carpet, we have come full circle. Living prophets lead the way.

But never doubt for one minute - the caravan is on course, though there will always be those among us who cling to the past fiercely, as though we are going to return somehow to the purity and simplicity of an earlier time. These somehow wish they could live in the days before the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and started rolling downhill. We are picking up speed as the little stone rolls forward. But let us not be smug.

God will cut short the work in this last dispensation of the fulness of times. The Bride may have grown weary while waiting and defiled herself with the world, but this time there will be a wedding with the Bridegroom and the Church will become the Bride of Christ. The best course we can take is individual repentance and to let the rest of the Church and the world who fail to repent go their merry way to destruction. As midnight draws nigh there will be fewer opportunities to obtain oil to light our little lamps of faith. Unconsecrated material possessions in that hour will be a poor store of value - ancient prophets used the word “slippery.” (Helaman 13:31).

Now I offer this final observation. Patience with the unfolding timetable of the Lord is indispensable to the true disciple. Many, knowing what the scriptures reveal concerning conditions in a Zion society, and observing these circumstances do not now exist in the Church, and thinking they have somehow been “called” to lead the way, have made unwise and premature decisions to move out in front of the caravan. Like the ancient Rechabites of Jeremiah’s day they prefer the separatist life to the heat of the day in the kingdom with all its paradoxes, contradictions and ironies. They are never wise stewards, and seem to lack the faith they proclaim.

The keys of the priesthood reside with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and those keys and this kingdom will never again be taken from the earth. The path to Zion is first discovered deep within the hearts of men and women, and they gravitate to others who have made a similar discovery, all of whom are subject to the Lord’s mouthpiece. That man, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like Moses who stood at the head of another caravan, will lead Israel out of whatever form of bondage enslaves us. Until that promised day comes, it is enough to hear the Lord whisper again, “Be still, and know that I am God.” His promises will never fail, and the gates of the Heavenly City await us.

So put away your Mayan calendar, and add to your food storage in the spirit of faith not fear.

* * *

Finally, I offer this concluding statement for your consideration:

I promise you all, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we can each be filled with the spirit of prophecy to guide us unerringly toward the implementation of Zion principles now and forever. It is within our grasp even now, and it is never too late. 

Favorite Quotes from April 2025 General Conference

 

This was another historic General Conference. I know we always say that with each iteration, but they seem to get better with each edition, don’t they? I had several memorable moments and noted my favorite quotes from each speaker, which I am sharing this morning. We are truly a Christ-centered Church these days, a development for which I yearned all those many years ago in my earlier life. These quotes will attest to that reality.

President Jeffrey R. Holland:

“Is there anything sweeter, more pure, more humble than a child at prayer? It is as if heaven is in the room. God and Christ are so real, but for others the experience can become more superficial.”

“Children really do love Him, and that love can carry over into their other relationships in the playground of life.”

“I testify that they are images of the kingdom of God flourishing on earth in all of its strength and beauty.”

President Camille N. Johnson:

“I can be whole, while I wait for healing, if I am wholehearted in my relationship with Him.”

“Faith in Him increases my hope for healing, and that hope reinforces my faith in Jesus Christ. It is a powerful cycle.”

“Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we can seek to be spiritually whole while we wait and hope for physical and emotional healing.”

Elder Ronald A. Rasband:

“I marvel at what President Nelson calls the ‘majesty of this moment’ and express profound gratitude to the Lord for His work. I encourage us to stand tall as his disciples, eyewitnesses of the fulfillment of prophecy, both ancient and modern.”

“The Lord commanded in the early days of the Restoration to ‘seek learning, even by study and also by faith.’ That is happening today and is worthy of a resounding ‘Hurrah.‘”

“I recognize that in the midst of the good news of the gospel, there are those who struggle, who have faith challenges, doubts and questions that seem to have no answers. Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ is the answer. Start with Him. Look for His hand in your life. Listen to Him.”

Elder Quentin L. Cook:

“In a world of great beauty, there are also enormous challenges. As we turn to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, He rescues us from the storms of life through His Atonement in accordance with the Father’s plan.”

“In His eternity-shaping Atonement and Resurrection, the Savior broke ‘the bands of death, having gained the victory over death’ (Mosiah 15:8) for everyone.”

“I testify that the key to the Father’s plan of happiness is the Atonement wrought by our Savior Jesus Christ. He lives and guides His Church. The Atonement of Jesus Christ provides the ultimate rescue from the trials we face in this life.”

Elder Ricardo P. Gimenez:

“I hope you will consider my words as a sincere invitation to seek to understand the opportunity to link everything we do with our love for the Savior.”

“The more we can connect the reason with our love for the Savior, the more we will be able to receive what we need or are seeking.”

“I love the Savior, and my love for Him is my ‘why.‘”

President Henry B. Eyring:

“Jesus Christ loves each of us. He offers the opportunity to draw closer to Him.”

“As you bind up the wounds of those in need, the Lord’s power will sustain you.”

“Every covenant servant of Jesus Christ will receive His direction from the Spirit as they bless and serve others for Him. Then they will feel the Savior’s love and find joy in being drawn closer to Him.”

Elder Neil L. Andersen:

“The diminishing love for unborn children worldwide is a grave concern. God cherishes life. … As disciples of Jesus Christ, we cherish life.”

“Life is a most precious part of our Father’s perfect plan and by His decree we cherish life and preserve life; and we choose the continuation of life once conceived.”

“Nurturing and protecting life that is yet unborn is not a political position. It is a moral law confirmed by the Lord through His prophets.”

President Steven J. Lund:

“Serious expectations require serious preparation.”

“[Priesthood holders] will find themselves in consequential times and places where their presence and prayers and the powers of the priesthood of God they hold will profoundly matter.”

“The Aaronic Priesthood is called the preparatory priesthood partly because its ordinances allow them to experience the weight and joy of being on the Lord’s errand preparing them for future priesthood service.”

Elder S. Mark Palmer:

“To all who recognize what you have lost, we invite you to come back so you can once again taste the joyous fruit of the gospel.

“To all who are longing for faith, we invite you to come back.”

“He will never give up on you. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ all that is broken can be healed.”

Elder Sandino Roman:

“When we have faith in Christ, we recognize His blessings and develop a relationship of trust with Him.”

“Pray to your Heavenly Father as if it were the first time. … If you are sincere and humble, you will hear His answer and begin a personal and lasting relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.”

“So, faith in Jesus Christ is a bond of trust, forged in loyalty and love. In other words, in gratitude for God’s merciful love, we show our loyal love by keeping His commandments.”

Elder Dale G. Renlund:

“If we are wise, we receive the truth by accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ through priesthood ordinances and covenants.”

“Indeed, God will be disappointed if we do not rely upon the merits, mercy and grace of the Savior to magnify the God-given talents we have received.”

“Rely on those who love you and who love the Savior. Seek God’s guidance to develop your unique abilities and help others, even when it is not easy.”

Elder Hans T. Boom:

“To those of the rising generation … please learn and receive strength from the faith and testimonies of those that came before you.”

“All of us, whether we are the first generation in the gospel or the fifth, should ask ourselves, ‘What stories of faith, strength and celestial commitment will I pass on to the next generation?‘”

“Let us be, ‘True to the faith that our parents have cherished.‘”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

“The Lord invites us not just to join His kingdom but also to be anxiously engaged in building it.”

“We are one, not because of where we’ve been but where we are striving to go, not because of who we are but who we seek to become.”

“Our love for God and His children is a powerful testimony to the world that this is truly the Savior’s Church.”

Elder Gary E. Stevenson:

“We rejoice that because of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, we can be forgiven and cleansed of our sins as we repent. This brings us peace and hope while making it possible for us to return to God’s presence.”

“Living prophets in our day — who receive revelation from God to teach and lead us — are increasingly inviting us to come unto Christ.”

“I testify that all who accept the invitations from our living Prophet and his counselors to more intentionally commemorate the holy events that Easter represents will find that their bond with Jesus Christ grows ever stronger.”

Sister Amy A. Wright:

“If we are not testifying to the veracity of His premortal godhood, His divine mission and His prison-bursting Resurrection in our homes and in every single meeting of this Church, then our messages of love, service, honesty, humility, gratitude and compassion can become nothing more than a jaunty pep talk of thoughtful living.”

“If we become casual in our discipleship of Jesus Christ, it could be catastrophic for our children.”

“When we tell our children we love them, are we also telling them that their Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ love them? Our love may comfort and inspire, but Their love can sanctify, exalt and heal.”

Elder James R. Rasband:

“It might be said that the plan of salvation is a plan of happiness precisely because it is a ‘plan of mercy.‘”

“For those who sometimes struggle to feel answers to prayer, seeking the Lord’s mercy is one of the most powerful ways to feel the witness of the Holy Ghost.”

“In sum, is the Father’s plan as taught in the Book of Mormon really this merciful? I testify that it is.”

Elder Sergio R. Vargas:

“I invite all of us today to center our lives on Jesus Christ and His teachings.”

“Our divine nature and covenant relationship with God entitle us to receive divine help.”

“Ask for help. Jesus Christ understands and is always eager to share our burdens.”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson:

“True worship means loving God and yielding our will to Him — the most precious gift we can offer.”

“Worshipping together, as the ‘body of Christ’ has unique power and benefits as we teach, serve and sustain one another. … As a community of Saints, we strengthen each other in worship and in faith.”

“Those who reject God as the source of truth, or disavow any accountability to Him, in effect substitute themselves as their god. One who places loyalty to a party or cause ahead of divine direction worships a false god.”

Elder David A. Bednar:

“Joseph [Smith] did not pray merely to know what was right. Rather, he prayed to know what was right so he could do what was right.”

“The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, confirms the truthfulness of the Bible and restores plain and precious truths that were lost from the Bible.”

“Ancient prophets and apostles personally conferred priesthood authority upon Joseph Smith and committed priesthood keys to him.”

Elder Steven D. Shumway:

“When we say yes to serving, we are saying yes to Jesus Christ. And when we say yes to Christ, we are saying yes to the most abundant life possible.”

“We engage in God’s work, not because God needs us, but because we need God and His mighty blessings.”

“Callings are sacred gifts from a loving Father to help bring others with us to Jesus Christ.”

Sister Tamara W. Runia:

“I testify that while God cares about our mistakes, He cares more about what happens after we make a mistake. Are we going to turn to Him again and again? Are we going to stay in this covenant relationship?”

“The invitation to repent is an expression of God’s love. Saying yes to that invitation is an expression of ours. … Yes, your repentance doesn’t burden Jesus Christ; it brightens His joy.”

“We don’t stay on the covenant path by never making a mistake. We stay on the path by repenting every day. And when we’re repenting, God forgives without shaming us, comparing us to anyone else or scolding us because this is the same thing we were repenting of last week.”

Bishop Gerald Causse:

“The Lord loves you personally. He knows your circumstances and the door to His blessings remains wide open to you no matter the challenges you face.”

“What matters to the Lord is not merely whether we are able, but whether we are willing, to do all we can to follow Him as our Savior.”

“The Lord’s compensating blessings often come through the kindness and service of others who help us accomplish what we cannot do on our own.”

Elder Gerrit W. Gong:

“This is Easter in Jesus Christ: He answers the longings of our hearts and the questions of our souls. He wipes away our tears, except our tears of joy.”

“He reunites us, whole and holy, with each other and God. In all good things, Jesus Christ restores abundantly — not only what was but also what can be.”

“Each Easter season we celebrate, as a symbolic whole, eternity’s great gifts through Jesus Christ — His Atonement; His (and the promise of our) literal Resurrection; Restoration of His latter-day Church with priesthood keys and authority to bless all God’s children.”

Elder John A. McCune:

“In Christ, we can understand better the perfect attributes of the Father and His plan. Through Christ, we are given the enabling power to overcome the tendencies of natural men and women so that we might become more like the Father.”

“As we make and keep covenants, we will naturally turn outward and have a desire to help others feel the measure of joy and love we feel in our covenantal relationships.”

“We can be part of the greatest cause on the earth today, the gathering of Israel. We can help to bring God’s children to Christ.”

President Dallin H. Oaks:

“By far God’s strongest mortal help was His provision of a Savior, Jesus Christ, who would suffer to pay the price and provide forgiveness for repented sins.”

“The plan of a loving Father in Heaven provides many other gifts to protect us, including protecting us from sinning in the first place.”

“Our part in this divine plan is to trust in God and seek divine helps, most notably the Atonement of His Beloved Son, our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ.”

Elder Ulisses Soares:

“Reverence is not just an aspect of spirituality; it is the essence of it — the foundation upon which spirituality is built, creating a personal connection to the divine.”

“Showing reverence for sacred things gives meaning to much of what we do every day and strengthens our feeling of gratitude-inspiring awe, respect and love for higher and holier things.”

“The absence of respect for the sacred produces an increasing casualness in attitude and carelessness in conduct, which can rapidly spiral one generation into apathy and catapult the next generation into misery.”

Elder Michael B. Strong:

“To be the Lord’s disciples, we must intentionally imitate His thoughts and actions every day — for example, His obedience, humility and patience.”

“Compassion is that portion of charity that seeks to alleviate all suffering.”

“Discipleship of Jesus Christ … is a path filled with deliberate and purposeful acts of love towards others.”

Elder Scott D. Whiting:

“To those who may be in hiding, we implore you to come back.”

“Through the matchless power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, you can be made whole again.”

“As His Saints, each of us must foster a culture of belonging in the Church that is loving, accepting and encouraging of all who desire to progress along His path.”

Elder Christopher H. Kim:

“When we harden our hearts, we are blinded, and good things cannot come into our hearts or our minds.”

“We want to become humble before the Lord, like as a little child who obeys their father. We will then always have the Holy Spirit with us, and our hearts will soften.”

“We can choose to harden our hearts, or we can choose to soften our hearts. In our daily lives, we can choose to do the things that invite the Lord’s Spirit to come into and dwell in our hearts.”

Elder Patrick Kearon:

“I invite you to receive either for the first time, or to a greater extent than ever before, the magnificent realisation that you truly are God’s beloved child. You must undo the bow, tear off the wrapping paper, open the box and actively receive with grateful humility a true, pure understanding of this foundational truth.”

“You may be wondering, ‘What do I have to do to receive this gift from God?’ Well, actually, nothing. It is a gift from the Giver. That is simply a fact. Just let it in. You are His child. You are beloved of Him. Do not complicate it. Do not block the receiving of this gift with thoughts that you are somehow undeserving.”

“You are a child of God. This is not just a nice song we sing. Will you please accept, open, and receive this gift of knowledge and understanding from Him? Will you hold it close as the precious treasure it is? Re-receive this gift, or perhaps truly receive it for the very first time, and let it transform every aspect of your life.”

Elder Benjamin M. Z. Tai:

“When we exercise faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, we receive clear assurance of their reality and of their concern for us.”

“Our opportunity is to love, share and invite in a way that those we love can feel the love of God.”

“Please know that your every effort matters and, as certain as the stars above us, that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know, hear and love you.”

President Russell M. Nelson:

“When I speak of having confidence before God, I am referring to having confidence in approaching God right now.”

“Two years ago, I called upon us, as covenant followers of Jesus Christ, to be peacemakers. … I thank those of you who took my previous counsel to heart. But we can still do better.”

“As we go to our Heavenly Father, with increasing confidence, we will be filled with more joy, and your faith in Jesus Christ will increase. We will begin to experience spiritual power that exceeds our greatest hopes.”